Where Are We Going?
by GeneHarlow
Summary: After her revelation about Caleb, Alex decides to whisk Norma away for a much needed weekend away, just the two of them, up in the mountains... clothing optional. Oh and there's a hot-tub... ;)
1. Chapter 1

**This was a request from a number of wonderful people, several of whom are going to meet Kerry Ehrin in LA this very day! I'm so excited for you guys and I hope you enjoy your fic! Have a great time! Also, I've had to split it into 3 parts because I have written an actual novel based on one simple little request. My muse got away from me!**

* * *

 _"Just go pack your bag."_

 _"Okay."_

She glanced up at him, not surprised, but her eyes flicked to his face in shock before she could stop herself. She knew he would go, but it hurt just the same.

"Where are we going?"

She gasped, the fragile grip on her resolve breaking, letting out the sobs that she'd been holding in since she uttered the words "I slept with my brother." It felt like she had started speaking hours ago, her body aching from the way her arms had been tightly wrapped around herself, every muscle tensed. It was like reliving it all over again, adrenaline flooding her veins like she was preparing for another attack.

But now, with his words - his gentle, softly spoken words - all of the adrenaline flooded out of her in one single moment. The options of "fight or flight" were gone, replaced with "cry" and "weep" and "breathe" and "cling on for dear life to stop yourself getting washed away by it all."

She let out a horrible, heartbreaking wail that she had no control over as he reached for her, letting her step into his willing arms, pulling her tight against him. She clutched at his jacket desperately, disbelief at his acceptance melting away as his hands gently grabbed a handful of her hair while he held her, the same way he always did, like nothing had changed. It had changed, of course, but she wasn't sure how and she didn't care right now, pressing her wet face against his neck, feeling her damp lashes fluttering against his ear, probably annoying him but she couldn't have pulled away from him for anything right now.

After what felt like a very long time, his hands stroking up and down her back soothingly, his gentle shushes in her ear eventually quieting her sobs into nothing more than soft hiccups, she pulled away, afraid to finally look in his eyes. He was looking at her sadly, his mouth opening like he was going to say something but he didn't know what, so they just gazed at each other for a moment, like they were somehow seeing each other for the first time. His hands slid down her arms, grabbing her hands in his own.

Something about the broken, pitying way he was staring at her made her bottom lip begin to tremble again. She didn't want his pity. She didn't know what she wanted, but it wasn't his pity, and her face crumpled as tears threatened to fall over again.

As if reading her mind, his eyes darted wildly to her shiny eyes, to her quivering bottom lip and back again and he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Do you have a passport?" He asked suddenly, his voice sounding loud and strange after such a long silence. She frowned in confusion, before shaking her head slowly. She had never needed one.

He nodded lightly, glancing thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment before looking back at her.

"Go pack a bag." He commanded lightly.

"Wait... really?"

He nodded and she offered him a small, sad smile at realising his intention.

"No, it's ok. We don't have to go anywh-"

"Yes we do. Go pack a bag."

"Alex..." She intertwined her fingers with his, smiling sweetly at him. "We're not-"

He interupted her again. Any other time and he'd be in the doghouse for it, but something about his gentle insistence was reassuring tonight. She glanced over his shoulder at her beautiful new window, shivering slightly at the sight of it.

"Go pack." He repeated simply. "Either you pack a bag, or I pack one for you and I don't know what belt goes with which skirt." He smirked at her, pleased when she pressed her lips together, rolling her eyes at him.

"Now go." He insisted, pulling her hand up to his face, pressing a soft kiss against her palm before releasing her and stepping around her to head to the kitchen. "I gotta make a coupla calls. Pack something for me too, ok?"

And then he was gone, heading into the kitchen and Norma stood numbly for a second, watching his retreating back and then the space he had just occupied for a few moments more, before she took off up the stairs on trembling feet. Excitement caught up with her halfway up the stairs and she increased her pace, jogging up the last few steps, her face breaking into a wide grin.

She excitedly grabbed the overnight bag from on top of the wardrobe, plonking it open on the bed and then pausing, realising it would be impossible to pack without at least some information. She threw her makeup bag in, before grabbing their toothbrushes and the tiny travel first aid kit from the bathroom because it never hurt to be prepared.

"Alex?" She called out, frowning when there was no reply. She headed back out onto the stairs, leaning over the rail.

"Alex, honey? Where are we actually going?"

There was still no reply, and Norma felt a vague sense of unease settle over her. She took a few calming breaths as she swept down the stairs, heading towards the kitchen, straining to hear any signs of movement.

"Alex?" She called out again timidly, rounding the corner to the kitchen, her worst fears confirmed as she found the room empty. He was gone. He'd left her. It was ok. This is what she expected when she had told her. This is what she had been prepared for. So why did she feel like all the air had been knocked out of her?

Just as she felt like she might die, each breath starting to hurt as she desperately fought the urge to cry again, her ears picked up the faint sound of a voice coming from outside the back door. She stepped closer, relief flooding through her as she picked up on Alex's voice, instantly feeling guilty for believing he had abandoned her.

"-Yes Janine, I know it's late... Yes, I'm aware of that. No... Janine... No!" He sounded annoyed, like he was trying desparately not to snap at his poor, simple receptionist. Norma tiptoed closer to the partially open door.

"Janine! I really don't care. Just get it done." He hung up without another word, his tone clipped and final and Norma instantly knew Janine was probably in tears right about now.

Norma jumped as he swung back into the house, nearly colliding with her, looking startled to see her standing there.

"How long have you been here?" He snapped and she blinked a few times.

"Just a second. What was that about?"

He rearranged his face into an impassive expression, tucking his phone in his pocket casually.

"Just letting work know I wouldn't be in."

She frowned at her watch.

"It's late. You called Janine this late?"

He shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"You all packed?" He asked, changing the subject.

She shook her head lightly, letting him guide her back through the kitchen, his hand on her lower back the whole time.

"I'm fantastic at packing." She bragged, a small smile playing on her lips. He didn't doubt it. "But even I need a little information."

He didn't answer, his face looking distant and distracted so she just carried on, padding up the stairs with him.

"Like... where we're going? And how long we're going there for?" She raised her eyebrows quizzically at him, spinning round at the top of the stairs to stare down at him, noticing him gazing distractedly at the wall, apparently not even hearing her. Her face fell as she took in his distant expression.

"Or we could just stay here?" She said lightly, shrugging casually like it was no big deal. Like her excitement at their trip was nothing. "Yeah." Her tone changed, nodding like it was a much better idea. "Yeah, let's just stay here. It was silly-"

He did a double take at her words, like he was just registering them, glancing up at her disappointed face and sprinting up the stairs to meet her. He stopped on the step down from her, letting her keep the higher ground, the step difference putting them at an almost equal height.

"No. We're going." He said definitively, reaching to wrap his arms around her back.

"We don't have to-"

"Lake. Mountains. Coupla days." He answered her questions from earlier now, with succinct one word answers, watching as her eyes widened at his words, a smile spreading across her face. Her hands found their way to his shoulders and he tightened his grip around her back, lifting her off her feet. She gasped and he smiled against her shoulder as he felt her legs come up to wrap around his waist. He seemed to end up carrying her an awful lot. He couldn't help it - He just loved the feel of her weight in his arms, the feel of her limbs wrapped around him, always trusting him not to drop her.

He grunted like she weighed a ton, feeling her giggle all the way through his body, as he carried her gently to their bedroom.

"It's like being married to a spider monkey." He muttered gruffly, as if it was all some big chore, as if he wasn't the one to initiate it. She knew he was joking. He always was. They both knew he loved it really.

She giggled again, before he set her back down on her feet, letting her slide down his body slowly, before releasing her and taking an abrupt step back before he could get too distracted.

"Ok. How far did you get?" He wandered over to the bag, raising his eyebrows at the contents. He span on his heel, licking his lips, his eyebrows still raised suggestively.

"Right. First aid kit and toothbrushes. What kind of weekend are you planning Mrs Bates?"

She rolled her eyes and crossed over to him quickly, shocking him by pushing him down on the bed. For a second, he thought she was overcome with desire, but she was stepping away from him before he could grab her, twirling away and leaving him sitting on the edge of the bed, letting him know how much his input was needed. He pulled open the drawer next to the bed, grabbing a few essentials and throwing them into the bag, smiling as she tutted at him, slapping his hands away and re-folding the items, placing them back in the way she liked.

He leaned back against the headboard, watching her potter around their room, pulling out numerous little skirts and dresses and blouses and replacing them before deciding on a couple of choices he loved. She folded them neatly, before heading back over to the closet, frowning thoughtfully at a couple of her fancier dresses.

"Do I need anything cute?"

"I... don't really understand the question."

She smiled at him, holding up a sleeveless little black dress, one he'd never seen her wear, figure hugging and lower cut than she normally wore and he gulped.

"Ya know. Cute. Dressy."

He would have loved to have her bring that dress, but truthfully there would be no need for it, and he didn't want to get her hopes up that they would be going any place fancy.

"You probably won't need it." He said, slightly disappointed. "Just bring whatever you want to wear. It'll just be us."

She licked her lips at his words, turning back to the closet to hide her reaction, replacing the dress, and opening to door to his "half" of the wardrobe, that was actually more like a tenth.

"What do you want?" She thumbed through his clothes, glancing at him over her shoulder. He shrugged.

"Whatever."

She rolled her eyes, and turned back to his clothing like she was exasperated by him. In truth, he was just curious to see what she would pick out for him, knowing she would inadvertantly reveal which of his clothes were her favourites via her choices. He smiled as she rested one hand on her hip, deliberating for a few moments before grabbing a pair of dark jeans, and a couple of black t shirts, and then a plain blue button down he rarely wore. She folded them neatly and added them to their bag, before tapping her finger to her lips, reaching right to the back for his oldest shirt, a dark green checkered one, faded and tired from being overworn for far longer than it should have been. He frowned at her choice, but didn't say anything, watching as she finished up and stood with her hand on her hips expectantly.

"Ready?"

He rose to his feet gracefully, crossing over to her, grabbing the bag with one hand and wrapping the other around her lower back, pulling her against him. She stumbled forward, surprised at his sudden movement, her hands grabbing at his shirt to steady herself. He kissed her gently, pressing his lips tenderly against hers, feeling her relax into his touch, letting him pull her flush against him, before he stepped back suddenly, keeping his arm wrapped around her, watching as she leaned forwards with her eyes closed, seeking his lips for a split second more.

"Come on." He muttered, smiling at her, grunting as he lifted their bag, flinging his other arm casually around her shoulders.

She checked her watch as they both settled into the car, frowning worriedly.

"Is it a long drive? It's getting late."

He breathed out a soft little laugh, shaking his head at the steering wheel.

"Yeah... You should probably sleep."

She tutted, starting to undo her seatbelt, reaching for the handle.

"We'll go tomorrow morning then. I'm not having you falling asleep at the wh-"

"No." He said sharply, his hand flying out to grab at her seatbelt before it was sucked back into the mechanism. "We're going now. We need to get away from this house and these people and this town." His tone softened lightly and he leaned across her, leaning in close to pull her seatbelt back across her, clicking it back in place, surprised when she let him. "This town can be poison if you let it."

She nodded tightly, knowing that better than anyone.

"Try and get some sleep." He retreated back to the driver's seat, glancing to see her shaking her head resolutely.

"No way. I'll stay up with you."

He sighed as he pulled away from the parking lot, knowing there was no use arguing with her. Several hours and 67 rounds of I Spy later, she finally drifted off, lulled to sleep like a baby by the darkness and the movements and the constant white noise of the engine, in the middle of a game, leaving Alex to wonder what she had "spied" on the highway that began with an X. It would haunt him that, later, when she eventually awoke, she couldn't remember.

Finally feeling the tug of exhaustion pulling at his eyelids, he pulled in to a gas station in the middle of nowhere, filling up the tank, grabbing a coffee and idly walking around for a few minutes, waiting for the horrible stale gas station coffee to kick in, stretching his tired legs.

Norma woke to find herself alone in the car, glancing out of the window, dazed, blinking a few times to see Alex pacing up and down a gas station parking lot. She sat up, yawning, feeling more tired than before she fell asleep, freezing when she realised she could just about make out his voice from the few feet away.

"Yeah, I understand that." She slunk down a little against the window, watching as Alex scrubbed his hand through his hair, his tone tired and annoyed. "Because I'm on vacation with my wife right now."

She smiled at the words. He was on vacation with his wife. She automatically started playing with her ring, spinning it absently around her finger while he carried on.

"No it can't wait. I just need it done. Do you understand?" His tone was clipped and short and she immediately hoped he wasn't snapping at Janine again. She glanced at her watch. She hadn't been asleep for long but they'd been awake for hours before she'd nodded off, and she immediately glanced around, taking in the darkness that surrounding them. They seemed to be firmly in the middle of nowhere, the gas station the only thing lit up for as far as the eye could see. She somehow got the sense that they were high up, but she didn't know how she knew that, since she couldn't see anything around them, just darkness and the vague shapes of pine trees lining the road.

There was a silence and she chanced another glance at Alex who was off the phone now, watching as he sat on a low wall that trimmed the parking lot, taking a long sip of a coffee, grimacing and sighing heavily, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He yawned, jumping mid-yawn as he phone rang again, hastily answering the ringtone that seemed absurdly loud in the dead of the night.

"Hello? Oh hola ... Sí. ¿Está todo listo?"

She did a little start at Alex's slightly faltering spanish rolling off his tongue, only stumbling over the occasional word. She tried to remember her paltry high school spanish lessons, recognising a word here and there as he conversed easily with someone on the other end of the line.

"Bien... bien. Una vez más, siento haberte llamado tan tarde. Gracias de nuevo."

She swung the car door open as he hung up, watching as he flicked his head up in surprise before smiling broadly at her.

"Where are we?" She asked, crossing over to him on shaky legs, stretching like a baby deer that had forgotten how to walk.

He gestured broadly at the thick darkened forest around them.

"Middla' nowhere." He said happily as she plonked herself down on the wall next to him, grabbing his coffee and taking a sip before he could stop her.

"Ugh. Jesus." She grimaced at the luke warm cup of death he was drinking, gladly handing it back to him and swinging her legs absent mindedly back and forth.

"Are we nearly there?" She asked, sounding like a child. She shivered and he wrapped his arm around her automatically, pulling her against his shoulder.

"Sort of." He didn't sound particularly convincing. She pulled her head up to narrow her eyes at him.

"Are you tired? Are you ok to drive? Do you want me to drive for a bit? Do you wanna take a nap?" She grilled him endlessly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I've had coffee. I'm good." He said, his bleary eyes slightly giving him away. She frowned at him suspiciously.

"I'm not dying in that car, Alex." She told him. "I have too much to do next week for that."

"You're not gonna die." He assured her.

"We're all gonna die Alex." She reminded him lightly, casting her eyes up at the canopy of stars that hung above them, brighter than she'd ever seen them.

"Yeah well, not till we're old and grey." He pressed a kiss to her temple, pulling her up with him and back towards the car.

"Ok." She agreed brightly. "But I'm gonna stay up with you this time."

To her credit, Norma managed to stay awake for longer than Alex would have anticipated, a grand total of 45 minutes before she fell into a fitful, uncomfortable sleep, waking every few minutes to sleepily ask "Oh did I drift off?" before falling asleep again.

The sky was just beginning to lighten when Alex pulled the car up the steep narrow lane to the cabin. It had been miles since they had seen a car, or another person, and the feeling of isolation that might make some people uncomfortable made him feel strangely at ease. They were alone up here. Nothing could follow them here, not that town, not their demons, nothing.

He glanced over at her, noticing the way her face was scrunched up, her brow furrowed, a soft moan escaping her. She shifted in her seat, her hands flying to pull at where the seatbelt was digging into her neck, scrambling to pull it away from her throat.

"No." She murmured softly, flinging her head to the side, her curls splaying wildly across her face. He sped up, speeding the last stretch of the narrow dirt road to pull in next to the cabin, slamming the breaks on and turning to her, just in time to hear her cry out softly.

"But... it hurts..." She whimpered out, her voice tiny and child-like and his heart broke, reaching for her before he could stop himself. Realistically, looming over her and shaking her hard could have easily been the wrong move, but he couldn't bear to watch her a second more, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. She woke with a start, her eyes darting around wildly before landing on his face, relief instantly flooding her features.

"You ok?" He asked gently, watching as she nodded tightly. They were silent a second more, as he waited to see if she would elaborate. She didn't, just sat up groggily in her seat, looking around into the darkness, her eyes landing on the cabin, brightening immediately.

"We here?" She mumbled, and he followed her gaze to the familiar structure, taking in the place he hadn't been in so long. It looked the same, but also incredibly different, bigger and more homely than the last time he had been here. The architects had done a good job.

"Yeah." He mumbled, letting his hands slip from her shoulders, opening the door and stepping into the freezing dawn air. It was like he didn't realise quite how tired he was until his numb feet hit the ground, his knees protesting, his whole body aching as he unfurled himself from the car. He yawned, glaring at the ever-lightening sky, trying to remember the last time he slept, trying to remember the last time he had stayed up all night. It had been a long time and he felt it now, yawning again, his eyes blinking slowly around, dazed.

"Wow, Alex." She breathed out, gazing happily up at the cabin. "This place is beautiful."

He nodded in agreement, smiling at her awestruck expression, sluggishly heading to the trunk to grab their bag. By the time he had slowly made it to the top of the porch steps, Norma trotting along behind him, his exhaustion caught up with him, and he could barely keep his eyes open, letting her take the key out of his hand and fumble with the lock for a moment, before swinging the door open.

She took the bag out of his hand, shooting him a look that told him to let her, since he looked like he was about to collapse, skipping into the small living room, taking in the trendy, shabby chic decor. The furniture looked antique and artfully chosen, all pointed towards a huge ornate fireplace, with a bear skin rug laid out in front of it. She frowned, pouting down at the piece, torn between disapproval at having such a cruel centrepiece to the room, and desperately wanting to run her hand over the soft fur.

He stood by the doorway, watching as she wandered around the room, curiously running her hand along the carved edge of the fire place.

"Does it work?" She bent down to give the chimney an appraising glance like she knew exactly what she was looking for.

"Of course. There's regular heat too though." He gestured tiredly at the air, which was delightfully warm and making him feel even sleepier. "I'll build you a fire tomorrow though." He glanced at his watch. "Or.. today, actually."

She nodded, sweeping across the room to him, reaching for his hand.

"Of course. Let's go to bed." She said, no intention to her voice, letting him pull her across the room towards the door on the far side, rounding the corner to the large bedroom.

He flopped back immediately on the bed, fully clothed, already feeling sleep pulling at him, before small hands were clasping his, tugging him back into an upright position. He flopped forwards against her shoulder, groaning out a protest, as she slid his leather jacket off his shoulders, tossing it to the floor.

"Be quiet." She muttered, as he let out an irritated groan as her hands flew to the buttons on his sheriff's uniform, making quick work of them, resisting his efforts to lay back against the bed again.

"Norma-"

"What? You gonna sleep in your shoes?" She challenged, exasperated at having to undress him like an unruly child who was pretending he wasn't tired. His head tipped back to pout at her, blinking his eyes open as she shrugged his shirt off his shoulders, her eyes automatically flicking down appreciatively to his chest. "What if you kicked me?" She changed tact, and it worked, as he immediately stopped fighting her, helping her pull his shirt off him.

He finally moved his hands from where they had been laying uselessly at his sides, letting them slink up the backs of her legs, along her thighs, over the curve of her ass and up to the zip at the back of her little pinafore dress, pulling it down as she leaned in to undo his pants, her breath tickling his cheek. It was intimate, undressing each other like this, the atmosphere bristling with tension, even though they both knew they were too tired to do anything about it right now.

A small smile played on her lips as she shrugged her strange little black pinafore off, leaving her standing before him in her shoes, her panties and her blouse. He licked his lips, reaching for her thighs again, pouting as she suddenly dropped to her knees in front of him.

"Er.. Norma?" He started tentatively, stopping as she shot him an unimpressed look from between his legs.

"Calm down, Sheriff." She muttered, dipping her head and reaching to untie his shoes, breathing out a soft laugh at his half disappointed, half relieved groan.

Each shoe was pulled off and discarded and she rose back up to her feet, jumping as he did the same, suddenly rising off the bed to stand. They gazed at each other for a moment, before he smiled down at her, hooking his thumbs into the sides of his pants, sliding them down, leaving him in his boxers and then sinking to his knees in front of her.

"Er.. Alex?" She started, as he pressed a kiss against her hip, before sinking back down suddenly to undo the little straps holding her heeled brogues on.

He smirked up at her from the floor, sliding his hands down her calves, slipping each shoe off and throwing it to the side.

"Calm down, Mrs Romero." She rolled her eyes at him, her own hands flying to her buttons, making quick work of them, and shimmying her flowery blouse off, leaving them both in their underwear in front of each other. He rose back up to his feet, tucking an errant blonde curl behind her ear.

"I'll give you the full tour tomorrow." He promised quietly, and she got the feeling he didn't just mean a cursory tour of the cabin. His hand trailed from her hair, down the side of her face and then down the length of her arm, grasping her hand and pulling her forwards as he sank back down on the bed.

"Oh, have you been here before?" She asked lightly, as she clambered ungracefully across the bed, sliding between the sheets he held open for her.

"Mm?" He murmured. "Oh. Yeah. I own it." He said casually, and she couldn't help but freeze, glancing around the impressively decorated bedroom, with it's tasteful, feminine furnishings, wondering if a second wife was about to pop out somewhere.

"You own it?"

He flopped back against the pillows, murmuring sleepily as he rolled onto his side, wrapping his body around hers. She struggled for a moment to free her trapped arm, already feeling him drifting into unconsciousness, as he pulled her snugly against him, his head nuzzling naturally against her chest. Her now freed arm wrapped around his neck, her fingers stroking lightly through his hair, the other hand resting lightly on his shoulder, feeling her own eyelids growing heavy already. Despite sleeping in the car, it had been a fitful, broken sleep, the kind that just makes you more tired and as Alex's breaths began to even out, she felt each blink grow longer and slower.

"Mm hmm." He muttered eventually, realising she had asked him a question.

There was silence for a minute, and her eyes blinked open one last time, just becoming aware of the golden light of the sunrise peeking in from the edges of the curtains.

"I just need a coupla hours-" He whispered against her chest, before they both drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex awoke to the feeling of Norma slipping out of his arms gingerly, letting his eyes flicker open to watch as she slid gently from the bed and tip toed over to their bag. He watched her hungrily as she bent over, pulling something out and straightening up, sliding his old, faded green plaid shirt on. He smiled as she straightened out the collar, doing up a few of the buttons.

"I wondered why you packed that." He said suddenly, his voice groggy, and she whirled round in surprise, grinning sheepishly at him.

"I've never seen you in my clothes." He mused thoughtfully, letting his gaze drift down her body, taking in the flash of mint green lace peeking out from between the dangerously low buttons, watching as her hands tugged nervously at where the hem skimmed the tops of her thighs. She had never really needed to wear his clothes. They weren't 20-something's having one night stands - From day one of their relationship, they had been in her home, her own clothing and nightwear easily available and she would have felt foolish donning his clothes when her own were only a few feet away. That didn't stop her from sometimes gazing at his long, worn-in plaid shirts, having the strange urge to slip one on instead of her normal, feminine nightwear. So, on a whim, she had grabbed his oldest, softest shirt from his closet. From the way he was looking at her, his eyes sliding hungrily up and down her body, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, she was glad she did.

She coquettishly dropped her weight onto one hip, rubbing her bare foot against her ankle, letting her fingers trail from the collar along the buttons, pulling it open just a quarter of an inch more, giving him a tantalising peek of her cleavage there.

"Come here." He muttered huskily, holding out his hands to her. She padded over to him, clambering up onto the bed, crawling across to him. He sat up as she reached him, flipping her over and rolling himself half on top of her. She squealed and giggled at the action, throwing her head back and laughing, leaving her throat bare to him. He took the opportunity, letting his head drop to her neck, pressing gentle, fluttering kisses there, pleased when her giggles subsided into soft gasps. Her fingers ran through his hair, as he kissed a path along her neck, tugging his shirt to the side to press his lips against her collarbone.

"Ahh.." She breathed out, her whole body jerking as he trailed his nails down her side, scratching lightly along the fabric and then down along her bare thigh. He stilled, gazing down at her, watching as her eyes fluttered open, leaning in to press a teasing kiss against her lips. He smirked as she craned her neck up to him as he pulled away, trying to reach his lips again.

"Plenty of time for that, Mrs Romero." He whispered, smirking at her and pulling back suddenly, grasping her hand and pulling her up with him.

She tutted and rolled her eyes, rising gracefully off the bed, frowning as he crossed over to the bag.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked haughtily as he whirled round with a t shirt and jeans hanging limply from his hands. He held them out to show her, confused.

"I'm... I'm getting dressed."

She crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head incredulously at him like he was being ridiculous.

"Well, that's not very in-keeping with the theme of the weekend, is it?" She said, her tone completely deadpan. He smirked at her, rolling his eyes, casting his eyes towards the window, gesturing broadly at the cold day outside of it.

"We're in the mountains, Norma. It's like, 40 degrees out there."

She glanced towards the still-closed curtains in mild surprise, like she hadn't been aware of how high up they were, before flicking her gaze back to him, nodding lightly. She stalked towards him, surprising him when she grabbed the jeans out of his hand, throwing them to the ground with a sudden flick of her wrist.

"I will allow the t-shirt." She said, smirking as he shook his head at her, pulling the black t shirt over his head.

"That's very gracious of you." He joked, before grabbing her hand, tugging her back out into the living area. She gazed around it, forgetting how beautiful it was, since she had been too bone tired last night to properly take it in.

"Do you own this?" She asked tentatively, running her hand over the plush suede sofa.

"The couch or the cabin?" He laughed, as he watched her.

"Both." She span to look back at him, her eyes widening as he nodded sheepishly.

"When were you planning on telling me you were a millionaire? Were you waiting to make sure I was in it for the long haul?" She teased and he passed by her, leaning in close.

"Oh I know you're in for the long haul." He whispered arrogantly, letting his fingers trail across her hip as he passed.

"And I'm not a millionaire." He corrected, his tone back to normal, as Norma shook herself to cover up her reaction to his fingers trailing across her so lightly.

He patted the timber panelling reassuringly, smiling around the old building.

"It's been in my family for years. When my grandfather owned it, it was just this one room, just a simple hunting lodge. And then my dad extended it out that way-" He jerked his head at the big set of wooden doors at the end of the living area. "I guess he wanted to make it more homely, maybe bring my mom out here..." His voice trailed off and he cleared his suddenly groggy throat, feeling her come up next to him. She smiled up at him sadly, wrapping her hand around the crook of his elbow.

"But she was never really well enough. Me and my dad came out here a coupla times though. Did a little hunting. Mostly just fished though." He shrugged suddenly, cutting off his nostalgic tone. "That was before... things got bad. I drove out here a few times as a teenager but I haven't been here in years." He said simply, stepping away from her and rubbing his hand through his hair.

"Anyway, he passed the deeds on to me when my mom died." He stated matter of factly. "I... didn't really want it, so I had it done up, redecorated it and started renting it out. I haven't even thought about the place in forever." He finally cast his gaze back to her, taking in the sad way she was staring at him, like he had just revealed more than he had revealed in all the time she'd known him put together. He probably had.

"Till last night." She breathed out.

"Till last night." He repeated gently, letting her take his hand and pull him towards her.

"I wanted to take you somewhere away from everything." He said quietly, as she backed up slowly, the backs of her thighs hitting the arm of the couch. "Somewhere where it could just be me and you." He walked with her, coming to a stop right in front of her, his voice lowering. "Away from other people. Away from worries. Away from-"

"Everything." She finished for him, letting him lean in to kiss her, pulling away before his lips could make contact and sinking down slowly on the edge of the couch, smirking as his lips tried to follow her, craning his neck down.

She let herself flop back suddenly, reaching out to grab his shirt as she fell, pulling him heavily on top of her as she stretched back out along the cushions.

"Ah!" He huffed out in surprise at the sudden movement, having no time to regroup as she leaned up to breathlessly kiss him, laughing softly against his lips.

There was a quiet noise from the doorway, the sound of a key being turned and they froze, breaking apart and staring at each other in shock, before a bright voice rang out from the doorway.

"Hola!"

Norma shoved Alex back suddenly, pushing him off her, back to the other side of the couch, while she shuffled up awkwardly, peeking her head over the top of it to smile nervously at the mature, hispanic woman standing in the doorway.

Alex didn't seem entirely surprised to see her, raising gracefully from his seat and crossing over to her, apparently not ashamed to be in a t-shirt and boxers in front of this woman. Norma watched, dumbstruck as Alex smiled widely, pressing a soft kiss against the woman's cheek and murmuring a soft hello. Remembering her manners, Norma jumped up, her hands desperately clutching the hemline of Alex's shirt, trying to tug it down to cover her thighs, padding over to them.

"Hi!" She trilled, leaning around Alex to greet the woman, who smiled sweetly at her, looking her up and down without any sort of judgement in her eyes. She was tiny and plump and older, her olive skin dotted with a collection of fine wrinkles and laughter lines that told of a life well lived, and that Norma thought were beautiful. Dark, chocolate eyes swept up and down Norma's attire, turning her attention back to Alex for a second to smirk at him, raising her eyebrows pointedly.

"Norma, this is Rosa." His voice was filled with warmth and pride, wrapping his arm around Norma, his other hand still holding onto the older woman's hand. "She's runs this place for me while I'm not here."

"Pssht! _Runs this place_?" She questioned, in slightly accented english. "I knew this one since he was knee high to a goose! His dad used to employ me to clean this place after they came out here."

Alex shifted uncomfortably, and Norma frowned, wondering why.

"From housekeeper to manager and it only took 30 years!" She said, no trace of bitterness in her voice, and Norma smiled at her, already liking Rosa.

Alex tightened his grip around Norma's shoulders, shoving her forward a little.

"Rosa, this is Norma. My wife."

"So the rumours are true? Alex Romero took a wife?" She teased lightly, before she turned back to Norma, grasping her outstretched hand in both of hers.

"It's a pleasure, Norma." She said, her accent coming through more when she smiled, making Norma smile back sweetly, before casting her head down to glance embarrassedly at their attire.

"I'm sorry about-"

Rosa cut her off, grasping her hands in hers and holding them out to the sides, giving her a good look up and down.

"Oh pish." She said quickly. "If I looked like you, I'd never wear pants either."

Norma blushed, casting her eyes down shyly, still embarrassed at the state they had been caught in, feeling like horny teenagers, not grown adults.

"Besides, I've seen worse from this one." She said in a stage whisper, jerking her head at Alex who looked suitably mortified.

Norma's mouth dropped open and she flicked her head to him, raising one quizzical eyebrow. He ignored her, and Rosa finally dropped her hands from Norma's, letting her fingers come back to tugging on the fabric of Alex's shirt, feeling somehow more comfortable if it at least looked like she was trying to cover herself. Rosa reached behind her, brushing the frizzy baby hairs that were escaping her bun away from her face as she held up a couple of brown paper bags.

"I brought groceries."

"Oh thank you!" Norma beamed gratefully at her, reaching to take the overfilled bags out of the older woman's hands. They hadn't even thought about food, but she just now realised how hungry she was, her stomach twisting and aching at the sight of food.

"Alexander!" Rosa chastised, resisting as Norma reached for the heavy bags. "You gonna let your wife do the heavy lifting?"

He sprang forwards, suitably admonished, obediently taking the larger, heavier bag and trotting off to the kitchen, pushing open the large set of panelled doors to reveal a huge kitchen area, with french windows at one end. Beyond that, was a decked area which seemed to run around the whole edge of the building, and beyond that was the view. Norma gasped, finally taking in where they were, finally understanding why Alex had brought her here, taking a few shaky steps across the room, to press her finger tips against the glass, her eyes darting around wildly to take it all in. Their decked veranda was overlooking the lake, close enough that Norma could throw a stone into it if she had a stone. Around the clear, tranquil lake, pine trees closed in around them, fading out of view down the sides of the slope that seemed to veer off dangerously around the edge of their private little peak, revealing a border of snow capped mountains that stretched as far as she could see.

Tearing her eyes away from the scenery, she glanced over her shoulder, watching as Alex took the other bag from Rosa, setting both on the counter and speaking quietly to each other.

"Ella es bonita. Lo hiciste bien. Ella es demasiado delgado sin embargo. Cocinar su una buena cena." Rosa spoke quietly, and Norma averted her gaze, getting the feeling they were talking about her, hoping it was all good, pretending she hadn't heard.

"Me alegro de que como ella. Ella es muy especial para mí." She smiled at Alex's faltering, muttered spanish, feeling him cast a shifty glance over in her direction, before she span round, realising she couldn't pretend to ignore them any longer.

"Ok, well I'm going to go now." Rosa said pointedly, feeling the tension as Norma and Alex gazed longingly at each other.

Norma sprang forwards, reaching for the other woman's hand, surprised when she slapped her hand away and pulled her down for a warm hug. She wasn't expecting it and she wasn't used to it - Wasn't used to the sort of warm, motherly hug from this soft, sweet old woman, a woman who clearly loved Alex and approved of her as his wife. It took her off guard, and she gasped as she relaxed into it, wrapping her arms around her, letting herself wonder if this is what it would be like to have a mother, not really knowing what that would feel like. She inhaled deeply. Rosa smelt like some strange, sweet perfume, something that reminded Norma vaguely of honeysuckle, with a layer of cooking and spices and warmth under it that was strangely comforting to Norma.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Rosa." She said genuinely, finally pulling away.

"You too." Alex was watching with a small smile, letting Rosa pull him down for a peck on the cheek.

Rosa glanced over her shoulder at them both.

"You two have fun, ok?" She said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively, pleased when they both blushed and looked away, Alex's hand flying to the small of her back to guide her out.

"You make sure you invite me if you get married again, ok?" She scolded him mildly, and he cast a glance back over his shoulder to where Norma was smiling from the doorway.

"I think this one's gonna stick, Rosa." He said playfully, while Norma beamed from behind him.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it."

She was almost out of the door, when she leaned in close, lowering her tone.

"You tell your papi I said hi." She muttered quietly, and Norma watched as Alex gasped, his eyes flitting to the ground before he nodded tightly and Rosa swept out of the door. In a heartbeat, she realised why Alex's mom had never wanted to come out here, perhaps always suspecting what was going on in this remote cabin. She shook her head, not wanting to pull at that thread, not wanting to spoil things. It was clear Alex loved Rosa, harbouring no resentment towards her, despite anything that may have happened in the past, so she fixed a smile on her face, pretending not to have heard the last comment, sweeping over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Rosa seems nice."

"She is." He agreed, pressing a kiss against her forehead and pulling her to him. They embraced for a moment, content to just stand in each other's arms for a few minutes.

"Hey, what time is it? I left my watch at home." He asked suddenly, glancing out to the bright outdoors. It had been 6:03am the last time he had checked on the car clock last night, and he was disorientated now, not used to not wearing his watch.

She glanced at her watch, her mouth flying open.

"It's nearly 4:00!" She said, shocked. "We slept all day!" She sounded annoyed, pulling back to gaze at him in annoyance, like it was all his fault. He chuckled, feeling slightly wild for having stayed up all night and slept all day.

"When did we last eat?" She said suddenly, her stomach giving out a tiny growl, frowning as she tried to remember. She had been cooking dinner for them when Chick had showed up and her mouth dropped open as she had a thought. "Did I turn the stove off?!"

He chuckled in response at her panicked tone.

"I did." He reassured her, his hands sliding down her back to clasp against her tailbone.

"What a waste." She breathed out sadly, thinking of the meal she had lovingly prepared sitting cold and uneaten on the table, frowning as she thought of the mess she would be coming back to.

"Dylan and Emma ate it." He said mildly and she did a double take at his words.

"I called Dylan. Told him there was a home-cooked meal waiting for him and Emma, as long as they cleaned the kitchen afterwards." He explained, not understanding the shocked, open mouthed expression on her face. It had just seemed like common sense to him. Dylan and Emma needed to eat, and there was a meal going spare, and they needed the kitchen cleaning up before they got home - It had seemed like a no brainer to him, but to Norma, it was everything. He had tied up every loose end she had forgotten, letting her son know where she was, feeding him, and Emma, who she loved and just wanted to see strong again, and making sure their house was spotless when they returned home. It was a simple admission, and one that she could tell had just come as second nature to him, and that just made her love him more. He knew her so well.

"There was a salad in the fridge aswell." She said finally, her tone thoughtful, shrugging lightly. "I hope they found it."

He grinned at her, and she finally pulled out of his arms, making a move towards the kitchen.

"Is it weird to eat dinner now? I'm starved-" She was cut off as he gripped her hand, pulling her back.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked quietly, and she misread his tone.

"Oh..." She said knowingly, stepping closer towards him. He rolled his eyes.

"No." He said simply, watching as she pouted at him. "I'm gonna make dinner."

She giggled, freezing and trailing off at the hurt look on his face.

"Oh? You're serious?"

He looked around incredulously.

"Just because you never let me cook, doesn't mean I can't cook." He challenged, and she held her hands up in mock surrender.

"Ok, ok. Can I help?"

He shook his head and her face fell.

"Well, what do I do then?" She asked sweetly, casting her eyes around the cabin, not used to having free time on her hands. She was always doing something at home. Always.

"There's a mini book-swap library?" He offered, gesturing at the cabinet behind him, stuffed with beautiful old, worn books. "Just... relax."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and chuckled at her stricken expression, like he had just told her to punch a baby, not kill an hour of time doing nothing.

It turned out, once she started, Norma was pretty good at doing nothing. She grabbed a book after a lengthy deliberation, and trotted past him in the kitchen, out through the big french doors, still just wearing his shirt and her shoes now, pretending not to even glance at what he was chopping, desperately wanting to correct his chopping technique but managing not to.

She paused in the doorway, the cold hitting her immediately as she froze, staring down with a delighted expression.

"Alex!" She screeched and he was at her side in a heartbeat, the kitchen knife poised as he glanced around wildly, searching for some threat. "There's a hot tub!" She squealed delightedly.

"Yeah. I know." He said obviously. "Rosa's idea. Said it'd bring in the honeymoon crowd."

His tone said that he had protested and that Rosa had been completely right.

"Ohhh." She breathed out sadly all of a sudden. "I didn't bring a bathing suit."

He smirked wickedly at her, leaning in close.

"Me neither. We don't need them."

She gasped innocently as she felt his breath stir her hair.

"But... what if someone sees?"

He grinned, jerking his head towards the small, placid lake, still and empty and silent.

"What? All those crowds of people?" He asked pointedly, glancing at the vast expanse of nothingness that surrounded them. "Let em watch."

She giggled daintily, and edged past the inset jacuzzi to take a seat on the swinging seat on the corner of the veranda, gasping as her bare thighs touched the chilled wood. He disappeared for a second, reappearing with a ridiculously giant faux fur blanket, tucking it around her, watching as she pulled her knees up to the side, letting the seat swing lightly from her weight.

"Warm enough?"

She nodded gratefully, and he retreated back to the kitchen, pausing at the door as she called to him.

"Ooh, Alex?" She said suddenly. "Are you making tea?"

"No." Her face fell. "Would you like me to make tea?" He offered.

"Yes please." She murmured gently, already feeling like she could get used to this "doing nothing" malarky.

Over an hour later, and Norma was firmly engrossed in Tess of the D'urbervilles, an empty mug of camomile tea resting next to her, as one leg firmly planted itself on the floor, rocking herself gently as she read.

The french doors suddenly slid open and Alex appeared, looking slightly frazzled, gazing at her apologetically.

"Dinner is going to be another 40 minutes." He offered humbly, looking guilty.

"That's ok." She assured him, nodding encouragingly, and he disappeared without another word.

Norma sighed, placing her book down, feeling like she needed to go and check on their meal and her frazzled, panicked husband. She rounded the corner to see him crouching in front of the oven, fiddling with the timer, desperately muttering "Cook... Cook!" to something behind the glass doors.

"It's going well then?" She asked lightly and he jumped up, surprised to see her standing there, the blanket still wrapped around her.

"I turned the extractor fan on instead of the oven." He admitted guiltily, glancing accusingly at the series of dials on the front of the oven like it was all their fault. She nodded gently, trying not to be patronising as his face fell, looking deeply upset at the prospect of his dinner going wrong.

"Do you want any help?" She offered mildly, taking a few steps forward, stopping when he shook his head.

"No, no. Just... relax."

She stalked towards him, flinging the blanket from her shoulders and letting it fall to a messy heap behind her.

"I'm tired of relaxing." She said simply, stopping right in front of him, not touching him at all.

"After one hour? You're done with the concept?" He laughed, his smile fading when she continued advancing on him like a predator stalking prey.

She glanced at the digital timer on the oven, watching as the seconds ticked down.

"Looks to me like we have 37 minutes to kill?" She said, her tone casual and innocent, watching as he nodded suddenly at her, keeping his own expression neutral.

"It looks like we do."

"Hm." She breathed out, like they were in quite a quandary. "What to do, what to do-"

She was cut off as he suddenly reached for her, his hands sliding under her ass and hoisting her up onto the table behind her, eliciting a soft gasp from her.

"Not the table!" She admonished. "We're about to eat here!" She pointed out incredulously and he shook his head, rolling his eyes at her, tightening his grip on her ass and sliding her forward. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she held onto him as he lifted her smoothly into his arms, her legs wrapping around his back as he carried her. He paused in the doorway, thrusting her up against the doorframe, taking the opportunity to kiss her, swallowing her soft gasps as he pressed her against the wood.

She pulled back, gazing at him dreamily, smiling at him as one hand drifted to graze his cheekbone. He began to move again, his stumbling steps heading towards the bedroom, his pace greatly impeded by the feeling of her lips sucking and licking against his neck. She wrenched her lips away suddenly, glaring at him in irritation.

"What are you doing?" She demanded, frowning at him, and he floundered, not knowing what to say, simply letting his gaze flick through the open door to the welcome, inviting bed. She sighed, rolling her eyes like he was doing something completely ridiculous though he wasn't sure what.

"The rug! The rug!" She muttered insistently, and he frowned at her in confusion before her eyes flicked to the rug in front of the roaring fire he'd built earlier. "The bear skin rug!" She spelled out, incredulously, like it was absurd he had even considered carrying her through to the bedroom.

He obediently trotted over to the poor dead creature, awkwardly struggling to kneel down with her still wrapped around him, his face still mildly confused at her insistence to place her here.

She rolled her eyes at him as he lowered them gently to the floor.

"We're living the Nicholas Sparks cliche, right? So you're supposed to lay me down gently on a bear skin rug in front of the fire?" She explained, like she was making complete sense, though he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Who the hell is Nicholas Sparks?" He asked through gritted teeth as his knees protested slightly as he crouched, flinging one hand out to steady himself, the other holding her tight against him as he leaned forwards.

"Oh boy. We have some movies to watch when we get home!" She promised, and Alex got the feeling he was going to hate every single one of them and that Norma was going to be personally annoyed when he was bored by them.

She opened her mouth to speak again, and he cut her off by depositing her with a light thud against the soft fur, his knees giving out with the last couple of inches.

"This is in very poor taste, you know." She admonished suddenly, flicking her head up to pout at the animal's sad, contorted head just above her.

"It's been here as long as we've had it." He shot back, wanting to appease her as he lowered his body gently onto hers.

"You didn't kill it then?" She challenged, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him.

"No Norma. I did not kill this 7 foot grizzly bear myself." He lowered his head to her neck, feeling her whole body relax as he said those words. Apparently, it was important to her that he wasn't a bear-killer.

"Good." She murmured out, as his lips found her neck, kissing and nipping and teasing, running his tongue down to her collarbone, pulling the collar of his own shirt to the side for better access.

"Ahhh" She breathed out, her hands flying to gently grip at his biceps, throwing her head back to moan softly.

He reared back on his heels suddenly, pulling up to gaze down at her, watching as she panted. She tried to follow him, and his hand shot out to press against the centre of her chest, pressing her back down, his hands sliding to start undoing the buttons of his own shirt. It felt like it took him forever, not used to the opposite sides the buttons were on, which was strange since it was HIS shirt. He was used to undressing her though, used to undoing a female blouse, and his hands shook as he struggled to do it all backwards, feeling her eyes on him as he gently succeeded, slowly pulling the sides of his shirt apart, revealing the expanse of pale skin and mint green lace.

Her breaths came hard, as he stared at her lustfully, and he felt strangely pleased at her reaction when he hadn't even touched her yet, just his gaze making her breaths come short and fast. Her thighs dropped open around him as he shuffled forwards, leaning over her, pressing soft, chaste kisses against her chest, teasing against the edge of the lace of her bra, nuzzling his head between the shallow valley between her breasts, before teasingly sliding his lips along the edge of the other cup.

He yanked both cups down suddenly, the soft, unstructured lace design giving way easily under his hands, and he tugged the fabric down, one hand immediately sliding to cup one breast, the other being pulled into his mouth, suckling her gently.

She moaned, throwing her head back, arching her back against him, sucking in a sharp breath as his teeth grazed across her nipple. His hand didn't lay dormant either, alternating between grabbing roughly at her whole breast, and lightly trailing his fingertips across her nipple, delighted as she bucked up into his touch. His mouth continued his assault as his hand slid down her body, trailing lightly across her abdomen and sliding smoothly under the waistband of her panties, feeling her twitch against him as his finger tips brushed gently against her clit.

His lips clamped down around her breast, his tongue flicking fast back and forth across her pebbled nipple, feeling her push up against him, her hands clutching desperately at his shoulder as his hand slunk a little lower, one finger sliding into her wet heat, quickly followed by another.

She let out a shrill moan as he curled his fingers inside her, his thumb brushing teasingly against her clit, wriggling up her body to find a better angle, pumping his fingers in and out of her steadily. His lips pressed gently against her neck and she bucked suddenly as his fingers brushed against some exquisite spot inside her, his lips clamping down and sucking hard.

Without withdrawing, or slowing his fingers, he slunk down her body abruptly, pressing gentle kisses against her bare torso as he wriggled down, his free hand yanking her panties down her legs, pressing the flat of his tongue against her clit, earning him a sudden tightening around his fingers, and a desperate, shaky moan.

"Jesus." She muttered out, her hand threading through his hair, tugging as she undulated her hips slightly, finding a rhythm.

Without warning, he withdrew his fingers, sliding his hands under the undersides of her thighs, hoisting each leg over his shoulders, pulling her ass up off the floor. He pressed his face against her without a pause, her hands flying out either side of her to steady herself, his tongue lapping against her for a second. He clamped his mouth around her clit suddenly and flicked his tongue across her, pleased when she released a frenzied moan through gritted teeth, throwing her head back against the fur. Her hands pressed hard against the floor beneath her, and she jerked her hips against his face, suddenly realising that the way her way her weight was braced against him, her legs draped across his shoulders, she could be in control.

He flicked his tongue against her again, and she responded with another roll of her hips, pleased when he gave a little moan against her flesh, apparently approving of her actions. His hands slunk underneath her ass, smoothing over her flesh, coming to rest on her hips, holding her against him as she undulated her hips in tiny little rolls, each movement forcing a ragged breath from her throat.

His tongue lapped back and forth, her hands grabbing desperately at the fur underneath her, scrabbling for purchase as she pushed her crotch against his face.

"Just..." She breathed out, sounding half annoyed, half ecstatic. "Just... hold still." She demanded, and he complied, holding his tongue rigid, letting her increase her pace, pushing her clit roughly against his mouth, her thighs gripping either side of his head, pressing against his ears, sadly muffling the frantic moans suddenly ripped from her lips.

"Ah... fuck..." He could just make out through her breathless moans. He loved when the prim and proper Norma Bates swore in the bedroom. It always meant she was close, and she increased her pace, violently riding his face, her hands gripping hard at the rug underneath her, every breath coming out as an urgent moan.

"Don't move. Don't move!" She moaned out, her hips rolling in tiny frantic circles, and he wouldn't have dared move, holding his aching tongue hard and rigid and wet against her, letting her move the way she wanted.

His fingers dug into her quivering thighs, holding her down slightly as she lost her rhythm, her moans quieting to desperate sighs for a moment, before she let out a couple of ragged, broken sobs, her hands clutching at the rug underneath her, her breasts heaving as she struggled for air. He felt her muscles flutter around his tongue, not daring to stop until she stilled.

He lapped at her gently, finally relaxing his aching tongue, earning himself a couple of quivers, before he gently unhooked her thighs from over his shoulders, laying them down gently against the soft pelt, leaning back on his heels to watch her smugly.

He leaned over her again, pressing a soft kiss against her lips, pleasantly surprised when she moaned, swiping her tongue into his mouth, tasting herself there, apparently enjoying it. He kissed her for a moment more, ignoring his insistent erection that was tenting his boxers, letting her hands pull at his black t shirt, breaking their kiss to pull it over his head, her hands trailing up and down his chest, her fingers dragging through the sparse hair there.

He expected her to pull him down on top of her, or to roll herself on top of him, so he was sure that was what was happening as she suddenly shoved him back, landing heavily against the soft hide of the animal beneath him. He expected him to clamber atop of him, so he was confused when she stayed to his side, her head dipping to lap at his nipple, earning him a soft little gasp, nothing like her reaction. He didn't hate it, but the action didn't elicit the same reaction it did when he lapped at her, and she knew it, pulling away almost immediately, pressing a soft kiss against the hard flesh of his torso, her tongue trailing down his abdomen.

"Norma..." He started, his voice a warning, as she shifted, pushing herself up, dipping her tongue into his bellybutton, kissing along the trail of dark hair that led from his belly button to the edge of his boxers.

"Ssh." She murmured gently, shifting herself up to sit between his legs, her breasts bouncing where they were pushed up against the cups of her bra, her hands slinking to the waistband of his boxers. Against his better judgement, he lifted his hips up, letting her pull his underwear halfway down his legs, feeling his erection spring free.

She began to lower her face closer and his hands shot out to grasp at her shoulders, halting her.

"You don't have to-" He started. This wasn't what they did. In the week and a half he'd been sleeping with Norma Bates, he'd been nothing but respectful, being gentle, and tender, and loving, and prizing her pleasure above his own at all times. He always undressed her slowly, peeling her clothes away from her body slowly, sinking into her gently in the darkness of their shared bedroom. Alex was no prude, and he got the sense that Norma wasn't either, but so far, their love making had been tender and sweet and delightful. He respected her, never wanting her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with, so he was surprised when she leaned forward, resisting his insistent hands on her arms.

"I want to." She breathed out seductively, before her mouth closed around him, just lightly sucking the tip into her mouth and he gasped at the feel of her mouth around him. Her hands shot out to hold herself up either side of his hips, his own hands sliding from her shoulders to rest lightly on her head, grunting as she dragged her lips around him slowly, teasing him.

She swirled her tongue around the head of him, earning her a surprised moan, his hands clutching at the back of her head. She sank down suddenly, taking him deep into her mouth, starting up a sudden, fast, unexpected rhythm, feeling his hands grabbing desperately at her hair, not pushing or guiding, simply holding her hair as she bobbed up and down. He glanced down, forcing his eyes open to find her staring innocently up at him, her eyes wide and impossibly blue, like the sea after a storm, her cheeks hollowed obscenely, her eyes fluttering closed at she sank down, feeling him hit the back of her throat.

Why had he been so preoccupied with respecting her to never let her do this before? She had silently offered plenty of times, sinking to her knees in front of him, or sliding down his body in bed, but he had always pulled her up, shaking his head lightly at her. As she bobbed perfectly along him, her tongue swirling expertly around him every time she reached the tip, her throat opening every time she reached the hilt, he had no idea why he had stopped her all those times. He had gone down on her plenty of times. Why was it any less respectful to let her do the same, especially as she seemed to love it, letting out a satisfied little moan every now and then, the vibrations shooting from her throat to his groin, making him drop his head back.

All too soon, he felt that tightening in his stomach, his hands fisting in her hair, trying desperately not to pull at her strands, desperately resisting the urge to push his hips up into her mouth.

"Uhh... Norma?" He murmured out, his breaths panting out desperately, feeling like an uneasy teenager. If this had been Rebecca, he wouldn't have bothered warning her. She didn't care, and neither did he. He would be hard pressed to find a part of that woman's body he hadn't come on, but Norma wasn't Rebecca. She was sweet and gentle, and through the haze of his pleasure, he felt suddenly unsure. His questioning tone told her all she needed to know and she carried on, her pace increasing, letting his hands guide her, her hands flying out to press against his abdomen, holding him down as answer to his silent question. Her nails dug into his stomach muscles, letting him know she was ok with it, and he released his fragile grip on his control, his hips trembling, as she sucked him hard.

"Oh god. Oh god... Norma!" He groaned out, as his hips accidentally bucked up against his will, hitting the back of her throat as he came into her mouth. She didn't falter, her cheeks hollowing as she sucked hard, continuing to bob up and down gently, moving till she was sure he was done. She stilled as his breaths panted out hard from his chest, releasing him with a pop, sitting back on her heels and swallowing deeply, closing her eyes as she did so, one hand absently grabbing lightly at her breast, the other wiping across the back of her mouth, creating pretty much the most erotic scene Alex had ever seen.

"Jesus." He panted out and her eyes flew open, smiling down at him breathlessly. "That was-"

"I know." She said in a conceited tone that she had entirely earned. She shrugged his boxers under his thighs, letting him wriggle back into them, watching unashamedly as he tucked himself back in and then cast his gaze around desperately for her underwear. He located them a few feet away, not sure how they had got there, reaching out with his toes to drag them over to them.

He rose to his feet suddenly, flicking her underwear into his hands, turning them the right way and then holding out a hand to her, tugging her to her feet. He sank to his knees in front of her, pressing a kiss against the soft flesh of her pelvis before he urged her to lift each foot, sliding the legs of her underwear onto them one at a time. He slid her underwear back onto her, rising to his feet as he did so, tugging the lace back in place. She stood mutely, just letting him, before his hands drifted to the sides of shirt, pulling them lightly before he realised something, reaching for her breasts, tucking them back into her bra, finally starting to do the buttons back up on his shirt, covering her from his hungry eyes.

She just let him redress her, pliant and docile in his arms, a small smile playing on her lips, before he leaned in to kiss her and she jerked her head back.

"Wait..." She murmured out. "Don't kiss me. I taste like-"

"Like me?" He finished gently, and she blushed, casting her eyes down, smiling at their feet. His hand found her chin, tilting her head up to him, and he was kissing her before she could stop him, tasting the salty, unfamiliar taste on her lips, frowning curiously, not entirely hating it.

A sudden shrill ringing sound filled their ears and they broke apart in shock, both realising it was the oven timer at the same time.

"My potatoes!" He exclaimed excitedly, before bounding away from her, and she couldn't help but beam at his excitement, lazily following him into the kitchen to watch the carnage unfold...

* * *

 **I used google translate to translate their spanish. Sorry if it's terrible! I don't speak any spanish at all.**

 **In this chapter, Rosa says: _"She's pretty. You did well. She's too skinny though. Cook her a good dinner."_**

 **And Alex replies: _"I'm glad you like her. She's very special to me."_**

 **I got a review requesting a blowjob with that casual shrugging emoji and I guess it got into my head! It was the shrugging emoji that did it. I was like "That's so casual! I gotta write it now! Just for the banter!"**


	3. Chapter 3

Norma had no idea why a meal of baked potatoes with sour cream, buttered green beans and an incredibly rare, bloody steak had taken somewhere in the region of two hours to prepare, but she enjoyed it all the same. They ate at the table, with a single candle lit between them, with him watching her take each bite, his eyes trained on her face nervously, like he was sure she was hating it. She wasn't. Their simple meal was perfect, and there was something very comforting about eating a meal cooked by her husband, as they chatted lightly, not caring that they were still half undressed at the table.

After dinner, she found herself being tugged to her feet, tugged towards the french doors.

"Come on." He murmured, and she stopped, pulling her arm from his grasp. She smiled lightly to soothe his confused expression.

"I'll be out in a second." She assured him, starting to turn away, before turning back, casting her eyes warily to the darkened lake rippling just beyond their decking. "Are you there's no-one out there to see us?" She asked innocently, and Alex, pulled his t shirt over his head, throwing it to the ground and smirking at her.

"I'm sure." He nodded, before disappearing around the corner, and a few second later, Norma heard a splash and a relaxed groan.

It was a few minutes later when Norma reappeared on the deck, taking in the way Alex was lounging casually in the huge jacuzzi, his arms stretched out along the edge, his head dropped back, his eyes closed.

"Look what I found!" She said excitedly, and his eyes flew open to see her standing over him, wrapped in a big white fluffy robe.

"Rosa's really selling this place as a romantic getaway, huh?" He chuckled lightly as she padded over to him, dipping a toe experimentally into the bubbles. "There was usually a dead deer on the table in my father's day. How time distorts things." He said, mostly to himself, reaching for her foot and frowning when she snatched it back with a giggle. He gazed up at her, hungrily waiting for her to disrobe and she rolled her eyes, pulling the fabric up tighter around her neck.

"Turn around." She demanded.

"Norma-" He started, sighing at her. She wasn't self conscious about her body. She knew she looked good, and she felt no shame in padding around their bedroom naked. But, as she glanced uneasily out at the smattering of stars and the sliver of the moon reflected in the still, silent lake, she couldn't help but feel a little odd about dropping her robe and she pouted at him. She didn't need to say another word, he just floated back gently and then span himself round, obeying her like he always did.

Content, she slipped her robe off and felt the bitter air bite at her naked body for a moment, before she quickly sashayed down the steps, sinking into the heated bubbles with a satisfied sigh. He span back to face her when he heard the little splash and grinned at her, both of them sinking down deep into the water, sitting across from each other, just their faces poking out from the thick layer of foam, the steam rising from the water obscuring their view a little bit.

She stretched her legs out, smiling wickedly as her toes brushed against the sides of his thighs, her little grin cut off as his hands shot out to grasp at her ankles suddenly, yanking hard, sliding her smoothly through the water towards him. Caught off guard, she sank under the water for a second as she slid off the ledge of her seat, and reappeared spluttering, managing to rearrange her feet under her to stand up in the centre of the hot tub.

She coughed out a giggle, brushing the water out of her eyes, finally opening them and finding him staring at her with a conflicted expression.

"Sorry." He mumbled out, his tone sincere and apologetic, and he really did look mortified to have accidentally nearly drowned her, but that was undercut by the hungry way he was staring at her, his eyes darting down frantically to her chest. She had been too preoccupied with coughing and wiping the scalding water from her face to notice that she was now standing waist height in the water, the currents swirling up to her ribcage, leaving her breasts bare and uncovered. Droplets of water ran in rivulets down her body, most finding their way down the valley between her breasts, and her skin's sudden contact with the frigid night air had hardened her nipples to tight points, drawing his gaze.

Without another word, he stalked over to her, keeping low in the water, like a crocodile, slowly advancing towards where she was standing. He reached her, and rose to his feet very slowly, emerging from the water, enjoying the way she seemed just as captivated by the droplets running down the hard planes of her chest as he was with her. He leaned in to kiss her, his hands coming to rest on her neck, his thumbs brushing her collarbones. Considering the fast, heady pace of their activities earlier on, this was quite the opposite, kissing each other tentatively, slowly, gently, his hands very slowly starting to drift down her chest, feeling the goosebumps rise on her chilled flesh as his hands finally reached her breasts, just letting his palms graze her nipples before his hands sank back down under the water.

He pulled away from her, and cupped his hands, bringing the handfuls of water up and pouring them over her body, watching hungrily as the droplets travelling down, and she tipped her head back, revelling in the way the hot water felt over her cool skin. He couldn't bear to just watch a second longer and his hands wrapped around her lower back, holding her to him as he lowered his lips to her chest, licking the water from between her breasts, and then taking one rigid nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, feeling her hands fly to steady herself on his shoulders as her knees went weak. His arms tightened around her, holding her against him, letting her feel his hard length press against her belly, as his mouth trailed a lazy path from one stiff peak to the other, licking and sucking and biting, tasting the chlorine on her skin. She moaned as he flicked his tongue across her sensitive tip, her hands rising to thread through his dark hair, tugging lightly as she threw her head back.

"Bite." She commanded in barely more than a throaty whisper, and he wasn't sure he'd heard her right, and glanced up at her, his lips still clamped round her flesh, to find her biting her lip, staring down at him in sheepish, breathless anticipation. He obeyed, letting his teeth graze her skin as he bit down lightly, and she breathed out a soft moan. He swapped sides again, not wanting to neglect any part of her, this time feeling a little bolder, suddenly sinking his teeth down and biting hard into her soft flesh. She gasped, arching her back, throwing her head back and letting out a wild, uninhibited moan.

Feeling like he couldn't bear to wait a second longer, his hands slid from her back, sliding over her ass, and reaching to grasp her thighs, opening them and lifting her up a little, letting the water take her weight. She hoisted herself up, tightening her grip on his shoulders and gasping as she felt him bump against her core, his lips pressing sloppy kisses against her throat as he lowered her, sinking himself into her slowly. There was a pause and he tipped his head back to look at her, taking in the way her bottom lip was trembling, her eyes closed and for a second, he felt a tiny tremor of panic that he might be hurting her.

"You ok?" He asked gently, stilling completely, his hands stroking gently across the goosebumps on her back. He was suddenly very aware of what she had revealed to him the night before, having a sudden panic that she was having some kind of negative reaction to his touch all of a sudden. His mind hadn't even made the connection, refusing to associate what they had between them with what Caleb had done to her, but her uncomfortable, tight expression made him panic for a second.

He needn't have worried. Her eyes immediately shot open, a wide smile spreading across her face, and she shuddered suddenly, clutching at him, pressing her torso closer against him.

"Cold." She muttered out, pouting at him like a child and he immediately understood, sinking back onto the seat, lowering them both gently into the warm water, feeling her body relax as soon as she was warm again. She settled her knees either side of him, looking much happier now they were deeper in the water, feeling the current from a nearby jet tickling her thigh, as her hands shot out to grasp at the tiled edge either side of his head.

"Ya know, sex in a hot tub is a great way to catch a bacterial infection." She observed casually, as his hands stroked up and down her thighs.

"Wow Norma. I love when you talk dirty." He quipped, his chuckle cut off as she tutted and rolled her hips against him to shut him up.

She started up a slow, steady rhythm, arching her back and letting out a soft sigh every time she sank down on him, her eyes fluttering closed. His hands slid around her back, trailing up her spine to tangle in her hair, before sliding back down again, cutting under the surface of the water to cup her ass. He gave a little squeeze, before one of her thighs slid out to the side suddenly, the action causing her to sink deeper onto him, half collapsing against his chest.

She let out a shrill cry, and he flinched as he felt her body suddenly clench around him almost painfully, the act sudden and unexpected. He tipped his head back to look at her, his mouth dropping open in surprise, watching as her face contorted, her eyes squeezed closed, her breaths coming out in short little mewling pants.

"Really?" He breathed out, a surprised, smug smile playing on his lips. "Already?"

Her eyes flew open and she glared at him, wiping the proud arrogant grin off his face with her steely gaze.

"No, Alex." She muttered sharply, like he was being ridiculous. Her hand slid under the water, reaching for her knee. "I slipped. I scraped my knee on this stupid jet." She winced again, and his hand disappeared through the bubbles to meet her hand, pressing gently over where she was cradling her knee. He instantly felt like the worst man alive for mistaking his wife's mewl of pain for an unexpected orgasm.

"Oh god. I'm... I'm sorry." He was horrified with himself, closing his eyes for a second. When he opened them, she was laughing, her giggles sending little shockwaves through where their bodies were still joined.

"Are you ok?" He asked, smiling awkwardly at her, his wet hands reaching to smooth her hair away from her face. She nodded, biting her lip, smiling down at him.

"What? Did you think you were superman for a second?" She muttered, rolling her eyes at him.

"I did wonder..." He mumbled, shrugging at her, pleased when she giggled again.

"Not quite." She breathed out, shifting her weight slightly, bracing herself on his shoulders again and raising herself up to begin riding him again. She only lasted a few thrusts, before she tensed again, her face screwing up, wincing in a sharp breath through her teeth.

"Yeah. No. This isn't gonna work." She mumbled, mostly to herself, raising herself up on her non-injured leg to slide off him, and he struggled to keep his disappointment off his face as their bodies disconnected.

"Yeah, ok." He mumbled, nodding casually, before she spun away from him, her movements through the water sluggish. He thought she was turning away to leave and started pushing himself up to follow her, before she was pressing her ass against his lap all of a sudden. He was dumbstruck for a moment, as she arranged herself comfortably on his lap, draping her legs either side of his thighs, her toes pressing against the floor of the jacuzzi to raise herself up again, reaching back between them to guide him inside her. Once she was fully seated, she glanced over her shoulder to take in Alex's delighted, shocked expression, smiling wickedly at him, reaching blindly through the haze of bubbles to grasp his hands and wrap them around her waist. Digging in her fingers to his forearm, she used him as purchase to raise herself up, moaning softly as she sank down again, her head dropping back against his shoulder. She started up a slow, tentative rhythm, leaning back against him, getting used to this new angle, her pace quickly increasing.

They were used to always facing each other, always craving the intimacy of face to face positions, but this was new and different and they both swiftly wondered why they were yet to try it before now. They had only been married a couple of weeks though. There was still plenty of exploring to do.

One arm still braced firmly across her stomach, the other wandered up to her breast, apologetically grabbing a handful of flesh and squeezing hard, earning a gasped moan, before soothing the dull ache by gently running his fingertips up to her nipple, teasingly tracing small circles. She jerked and arched into his touch, pushing him deeper, eliciting matching groans from them both. Her head dropped back against his shoulder, her damp hair flopping into his face, her ear millimetres from his mouth, and he lunged forward, clamping his teeth gently around her ear lobe, tugging and then releasing and she shuddered lightly.

Tightening her grip around his arm, she leaned forwards slightly, finally pulling her damp strands from his face, letting him watch the muscles in her back tighten and relax with every thrust. She had changed the angle slightly, tightening her thighs around his legs, her ass bumping against his abdomen every time she sank down in the most perfect way. It was rare for him to have this opportunity, usually distracted by watching her face change in a hundred minute ways every time he thrust into her, or watching her breasts bounce as she moved, or getting lost in the azure pools that her eyes became when they flew open, bumping their foreheads together. But it was strange not to have that this time. He missed watching her, missed the way her eyes looked when they were blown wide and dark with desire, and yet it was strangely intoxicating, watching her damp curls bounce wildly around her head like a platinum halo, feeling the muscles in her stomach trembling under his palm from the effort of her rocking motions. He felt like he had a tighter reign on his control like this, feeling more composed than usual, listening intently to her soft moans that rose above the sounds of the jacuzzi bubbling away around them. His smug, self-assured illusion of control went out of the window of course, when she released his arm suddenly, leaning all the way forwards, her hands flying out to brace herself on his knees.

He sucked in a sharp breath at the new angle, watching as her ass bobbed in and out of the water for a few moments, her nails digging into his knees as she held herself up.

"Ah god..." She breathed out, and in an instant, his fragile restraint was gone, his hands sliding to the juncture of her hips, guiding her as she bobbed up and down, her pace increasing.

"Jesus..." He whispered, his thumbs digging into to her ass cheeks, his eyes flying shut, searching for the calm and collected Alex Romero of only moments ago. He was gone though, and his hands wrapped around her suddenly, pulling her back from this new position, pulling her back against his body again, his hard chest pressing against her back.

She gasped as she lost her footing, her feet sliding on the tile and he took her moment of stillness as an opportunity, his hand sliding down her abdomen, sinking below the foam and seeking out her clit. His other hand flew to her chest again, squeezing hard, holding her in place as his other hand sought out her sensitive nub, fumbling through the water for a second before he found his target. She jolted as he made contact, her feet scrambling for purchase, letting out a confused, irritated little mewl as she tried to buck her hips against him. He held her fast, holding her almost still, as his fingers circled her clit teasingly.

"Alex..." She whined out, rolling her hips, her toes pressing against the floor of the hot tub, looking for purchase. She needed to move. She needed... something, but he teased her for a second more, his finger tip lightly tracing around her bud, enjoying the needy whine she let out, feeling her nails dig into where his forearm was trapping her around the waist.

"Stop..." She moaned out halfheartedly, and if he thought she meant stop touching her, he would have stopped in a heartbeat. He guessed she meant stop teasing her and so he did, giving up on the teasing and pressing hard against her clit, feeling her clench around him as he did so.

He gasped against her shoulder, as she naturally jerked up before sinking down again, pushing him deeper and then stilling as his hand started up a rough, fluttering rhythm.

She kept making little sounds in her throat, like she was going to say something, and making tiny little movements, as if she was going to do something, but every time the thought left her, only able to concentrate on the feeling of his nimble finger tips rubbing tiny circles, his hips occasionally jerking upwards as he filled her completely.

She knew he wanted to move, she knew he was desperately seeking friction for his own release, but he still held her fast, his arm clamping down around her middle, holding her tight. Selfishly, she let him, since any movement would disrupt the skilled, intricate motions of his fingertips, and she couldn't bear that, not when she was so close.

So she let him hold her still, let his arm press against her stomach, let his fingers dig into her hip while her breath hitched in her throat, throwing her head back to moan. The back of her head connected with his forehead with a thud, but she barely noticed, choking out a halfhearted "Sorry, sorry." as she let her head sink back down onto his shoulder.

"It's ok." He whispered back, nuzzling her hair away from her neck with his nose, pressing a soft kiss there, tasting the chlorine on her skin as he felt her begin to tighten around him.

"Don't stop, don't stop." She begged, like he had any intention of doing so, her fingers flying down through the water to clutch desperately at his hand, pushing him harder against her, rolling her hips with tiny undulations as she began to lose herself.

"Oh... oh god!" She panted out desperately, and her hand shot back, reaching behind her to grab a handful of his hair. He barely registered the pain of her tugging his hair as he felt her body tighten around him in waves, her stomach muscles and her thighs quivering as she let out a desperate, trembling cry, just as he clamped his lips around where her neck met her shoulder. He sucked hard as she moaned shakily, her body going soft and pliant in his arms, her head resting heavily against his shoulder as she panted.

"Jesus." She whispered, staring up dazed at the stars above them, her breathing slowly returning to normal as she pulled his hand away from her, resting their entwined fingers against her thigh.

He chuckled out a rather self-satisfied little laugh against her hair, and she could only grin breathlessly in response, trying to regain her composure. His hand slid from where it had been gripping her hip, trailing across her stomach and then sliding along the curve of her waist, and the movement across her oversensitive skin made her buck slightly, reminding her that he was still inside her. She felt guilty for forgetting for a moment, taking a deep breath and lifting her head, starting to lean forwards on her shaky, weakened legs, resolved to carry on like this, wanting him to find his own release.

She glanced over her shoulder with heavily lidded eyes, finding him smirking at her weakened, baby-deer-trying-to-walk-for-the-first-time attempts to find her footing again, and she changed tact, lifting herself off him, gasping slightly as she did so and sinking back down into the water, using her hands to propel her round to face him.

"I wanna see you." She murmured sexily, taking a step back through the water as he raised himself off the seat and took a step towards her. Her back hit the other side of the jacuzzi, and he caught up to her a moment later, his body smoothly floating over to her, his erection bumping against her stomach, making her breath hitch in her throat. She spread one arm along the length of the edge of the jacuzzi, holding herself still against the currents the jets were creating, the other slinking between them to grasp him lightly.

His eyes flickered closed and he sucked in a deep breath as she pumped him a few times, his hands coming to rest either side of her head, holding himself close to her.

"How's your knee?" He choked out, and she smiled at his ever-present concern for her.

"Fine." She lied smoothly. She hadn't realised till she'd straightened it, putting a little of her weight on her leg to move through the water how much it hurt. But the dull ache was present now, especially now his hands weren't on her, distracting her from her pain. She lied though, because she didn't want him to worry.

"Good." He muttered out through gritted teeth as her small hand moved nimbly over him, letting her breasts brush his chest as she continued slowly pumping her hand up and down. He wasn't the only one who could tease.

"You're always so worried about me, aren't you?" She whispered playfully, as she parted her legs, letting him drift forwards.

"Of course." He murmured back, as his hands slid from the edge of the hot tub down to her hips, pulling her towards him. She rose up a little, bracing herself with her free arm, lining herself up and pushing him against her entrance. She began sinking down on him when he spoke again, and she stilled.

"That's why I'm having your brother extradited." He murmured out against her neck, his tone simple and matter-of-fact.

"What?" She breathed out, her whole body freezing, not sure she had heard him right.

"I called my buddy down at interpol. They're locating Caleb Calhoun now. I'm having him arrested."

She jerked upwards, letting him slide out of her body, watching as his face screwed up in confusion, his eyes flying open to stare at her.

"I didn't ask you to do that!" She muttered angrily.

"You didn't have to." He shot back.

"I don't want that!" She shouted. "How could you do that? Why would you do that without even asking me?" She shoved him back harshly, and he fell back into the centre with a splash. He stood immediately, the water coming up to his chest, his whole body tense and angry.

"Are you serious?" He murmured, low and quiet, his tone seething with rage.

"Yes!" She screeched, crossing her arms across her chest. "Why would you do this?"

His mouth flapped open wordlessly and she glared at him for a moment before she sighed, moving towards the steps out of the tub. His hand shot out to stop her, grasping her wrist and pulling her smoothly through the water to him. She struggled for a moment, before realising it was futile, letting his eyes catch hers, gazing deeply into them.

"Because he hurt you." He said pointedly through gritted teeth. His anger was with Caleb, not with her, and she frowned, pressing her lips together as she glared at him. "You expect me to just do nothing?" He ground the words out, leaning in close to her, watching as her breathing quickened.

"You're my wife." He said seriously, loosening his grip on her wrist, pleased when she didn't pull away from him. "How could I just sit back and do nothing?" His head jerked briefly to the side. "Knowing he's out there? Knowing he can come back whenever he wants? What if he hurt you again? How could I live with that if I did nothing?"

Her face had softened while he spoke, as his own tone had levelled, taking on a desperate, begging quality.

"He wouldn't hurt me." She said quietly, avoiding his gaze, her bottom lip trembling slightly.

"He already did." He said seriously, shaking his head at her.

There was a long silence where a series of conflicting emotions flittered across her face, the whirring of the jacuzzi seeming very loud all of a sudden, before she reached up, cupping his face with both hands and kissing him hard. He kissed her back, his hands finding her waist, his erection grazing her stomach again, and her hand slid down the firm planes of his chest, grasping him again like nothing had happened.

"I don't want to testify." She murmured sadly against his lips and he grabbed her wrist, ceasing her movements, moving his lips along her jaw, tracing lightly.

"You wont have to. He's got outstanding warrants. We pulled him up on those." He murmured into her ear. "Your name will never be mentioned."

She pulled back to shoot him an unreadable expression.

"Ok." She nodded.

"Ok?" He queried, cocking his head at her.

She nodded, giving permission in that split second to arrest the man who had once been her greatest protector, her best friend and her first love. She wouldn't let herself think of him now though, pushing all thoughts of him from her mind, smiling wickedly up at Alex.

His hands were suddenly on her hips again, the veil of foam giving him the element of surprise, dragging her weightlessly through the water and pushing her up against the metal pole of the steps. She gasped as her spine made contact with the freezing metal, jerking forwards, her arms gripping onto his forearms.

"I don't wanna talk about it anymore." She whispered in a tiny voice.

He gazed at her sadly, watching as her expression melted from unhappy to something wicked and dark.

"In fact, I don't wanna talk at all." She grinned at him. He kissed her, slowly and deeply now, his lips moving passionately against hers, as her thighs drifted open for him, her ankles hooking behind his back, making him take a stumbling step towards her. His hard length bumped against her core and she used the grip her legs had around him to rub herself teasingly along his length, enjoying the little growl he let out. She cut off the sound by easing herself down on him again, gasping slightly as he filled her completely, her still sensitized body adjusting to him. His hands flew to her ass, cupping her flesh as he guided her, urging her on as she set up a speedy rhythm, knowing that's what he wanted.

He dropped his head forwards, groaning against her shoulder, as she wrapped her arms around him, using her buoyancy in the water to rut against him hard and fast.

"Ah... Norma..." He ground out, rearing back to look at her, frowning, displeased at the composed, pleased little smile she gave him. He stilled for a moment, realising she was just intent on him finding release, letting him use her body to find it. That wasn't what he was about. His hands shot out to grab at her wrists roughly, pulling them up above her head and guiding her to wrap her hands around the metal pole behind her. She gasped, gazing at him with a questioning look in her eye, obediently letting him pull her hands up above her, arching her back as she grasped the pole.

"I wanna see you come again." He murmured against her jaw, nuzzling his nose against her neck as he thrust again, pleased when she gasped at his movement and his words.

"I..." She started, cut off as his hands suddenly dipped under her thighs, grabbing at her ass, pulling her legs even wider apart, tugging her hips forwards. Her hands held on to the pole, as she leaned back, her weight held up by the water, letting him angle her how he wanted, before he started moving again. She expected a slow, gentle, teasing rhythm, so she was surprised when he started a hard, fast pace, forcing each breath out of her with a ragged pant. The angle of his hips every time he thrust into her had him bumping his pelvic bone against her clit, his length hitting some sweet spot inside of her that made her grip desperately onto the pole behind her, scrabbling to pull herself up, arching her back to pull him deeper. She wanted more, and less, and... something, as she unexpectedly felt herself edging towards a climax again, her breaths heaving out of her in strangled half moans, her head falling back against the handle.

Impossibly, he quickened his pace, thrusting in and out of her jack rabbit fast, his fingers digging in desperately to the undersides of her thighs, watching as her breasts bounced along with his movements.

"Ugh... oh... oh God..." She panted out, her tone mildly astonished as her orgasm built quickly.

"Come for me." He murmured, and he wasn't usually one for any kind of dirty talk, usually being the strong and silent type when they were intimate, so her eyes flew open and her mouth dropped open at his words, her face contorting as she stared at him.

"Oh, Alex. Alex. Alex." She whispered out, his name a chant on her lips, dying away to a brief silence before she was screaming, a strangled, ragged sound she couldn't contain, her back arching like she was possessed, her hands clutching fiercely at the pole over her head. He was following a split second behind her, ploughing into her unevenly a few more times, the feel of her body clamping around him pulling him over the edge, spilling out into her with a breathless, broken groan.

They were still for a moment, their eyes closed, their bodies trembling before he took a small step back, slipping out of her, feeling guilty as she winced softly. His hands slid from her thighs and she slipped down, her hands no longer holding onto the handle behind her. Her entire body dropped down into the heated water, only just holding her face out of the water, the bubbles splashing around her eyes.

"I'm drowning." She stated simply, and he laughed, hooking his hands under her boneless arms, pulling her back up to sit on the ledge of the seat.

"Dramatic." He muttered, rolling his eyes at her as he settled into the seat next to her.

He watched as her breathing returned to normal, feeling his own heartrate finally slowing, as she raised her hand out of the water, staring at it in shock.

"Oh my god. I'm a prune." Her mouth dropped open as she gazed at her wrinkled fingers. "I am a human prune!"

He raised his own hands from the warm froth of the hot tub, now uncomfortably sweltering after their activities, gazing at his own pruny hands.

"We're both prunes. Maybe we should get out?" He offered with a shrug.

She turned to him, swinging her legs across his lap, feeling him wrap an arm around her waist, holding her to him like a baby.

"But... we live in the hot tub now?" She countered, pouting at him.

"Ah. Of course." He agreed, like he was being silly. "I will have Rosa bring all of our meals here." He announced grandly. She giggled, resting her head against his chest.

"I'm kidding. I wanna get out." She said mildly, like he hadn't already guessed he was kidding. "I'm too hot." She announced, puffing a breath up across her face, failing entirely at cooling herself down.

"After you." He said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"No." She said sharply, before rearranging her face into a grin. "You first. I'm sick of being objectified by you, Mr Romero."

He held his hands up, swinging her legs off his laps and wading through the water towards the steps.

"As you wish." He said mildly, heaving himself out of the water, catching her staring at his ass, and grinning salaciously down at her.

She paddled over to the ladder, trying to pretend that her knee wasn't in agony, pausing by the steps and holding one hand out like the queen.

"Robe." She said simply, and he tutted at being treated like a servant, but obediently trotted over to retrieve her robe from the side of the jacuzzi, giving her a few seconds to struggle painfully out of the water. He wrapped her up in the fluffy white robe as soon as her damp skin touched the freezing air, and she snuggled into it gratefully, taking a small step and biting her lip to stop from whimpering.

She looked over her shoulder, pouting at him playfully, turning to wrap her arms around his neck and he rolled his eyes, immediately knowing what she wanted. Like always, he pretended he didn't want to, like it was all some big chore, though he secretly loved it.

"Spider monkey?" He asked mildly and she nodded, immediately being swept into his arms, relieved that her weight was now off her sore leg. He carried her straight to the bedroom, depositing her gently on the bed, and disappearing for a second. She listened to the sounds of towel rubbing across skin, then to the sound of him retrieving a pair of boxers from the bag, the cotton rustling against his skin as he pulled them on, and then the bed shifted behind her. He wrapped an arm around her gently, pulling her back against him, his front pressed against her back and she felt herself relaxing, snuggling into the warmth of her robe and her husband, feeling sleep tugging at her.

Sleepily, she let her hand press briefly against her knee, breathing out a surprised, irritated sigh when it felt hot and wet and painful.

"Alex?" She said in a small, sleepy voice.

"Mm?" He murmured back, already sounding half asleep.

"Do you have a first aid box here?" She asked casually, and he tensed up, immediately awake, lifting his head to gaze at the side of her face in the darkness.

"I think I'm bleeding on your sheets." She announced mildly, and Alex felt his heart stop in that moment. Blind, terrifying panic gripped him as she shifted in his arms, wincing as she moved.

"Norma..." He choked out, not knowing what to say, his breath hitching in his throat, feeling his whole body go cold at the prospect of hurting her.

"Fucking jets. You should sue whoever built that hot tub." She muttered out bitterly, wriggling around in his arms to lie on her back, pulling her dressing gown up to reveal her knee, which, even through the darkness, looked pretty bad.

"Jesus, Norma!" Relief flooded through him, instantly feeling somewhat foolish for panicking over the rough jacuzzi sex.

"Why didn't you say something?!" He demanded, reaching behind him to flick the light on, rising up on his knees to gaze in horror at her knee. "I thought it was a bump!"

He pressed tenderly around the edges of the bruised flesh, his eyes flitting to the angry, bleeding gash right across her knee cap.

"Ah!" She breathed out, flinching away from his probing. "It didn't feel this bad in the water." She protested, earning an unimpressed look.

"I didn't want you to stop." She breathed out honestly, her tone low and seductive, reaching out to dig her fingers into his forearm, making his eyes flick panicked from his arm, to her face and then back down to her knee. He shrugged off her touch, jumping up from the bed and returning moments later with a first aid box, and a small crystal tumbler of amber liquid.

"Here." He handed it to her and she shuffled to sit up slightly, taking the glass with a sudden giggle.

"Is it 1910? Do you think I'm about to swoon?" She giggled, sniffling the glass experimentally. He rolled his eyes, opening up the first aid box.

"Just drink the brandy Norma."

She managed to coach his shaking hands through patching her up, constantly reassuring him that it wasn't his fault, and that it hadn't hurt while they were in the hot tub and that it "looked worse than it felt". It wasn't completely lies. She got the feeling the chlorine and the hot water had irritated the only slightly nasty graze, making it angrier and redder than it should have been, keeping it bloodied and sore for longer than if she'd been dry. But still, she helped him patch her up, rubbing antiseptic over it, looking stricken when she had hissed at the sting, and then bandaging it up with the mild ineptitude that only a man could manage.

"There." He said triumphantly, leaning back on his heels to admire his handiwork. "All better." She was about to roll her eyes and made a snidey comment when he leaned down to press a soft kiss against the edge of the bandage, like a parent would when a child was injured and she swallowed her reply, smiling down at him. He grabbed one of the decorative pillows from where it had been discarded on the floor, gently lifting her leg and placing it under her knee, keeping it elevated like she had just had major surgery, not a little cut.

He shuffled back up to her, lying on his side, reaching back to turn the light off again, flinging his arm casually over her stomach. His leg pressed against hers as he curled up against her, his head shuffling across onto her pillow, his breath hot against the side of her face.

"Thank you." She said sweetly, letting her hands come to rest on his forearm.

"You always look after me." She murmured quietly, her voice small and slightly broken, and they both knew she was talking about more than her knee.

"I will protect you till the day I die." He said seriously, and she pulled in a shaky gasp at his words, hearing the sincerity there. She tightened her grip on his arm, sliding it more firmly around her, feeling his hand press lightly against the side of her rib cage.

"Better not die then." She whispered, turning her head to gaze at him through the gloom. He shuffled even closer, pulling against her side to snuggle against her, his leg intertwining with hers.

"I'll do my best." He remarked, kissing her gently, pulling back, resting his forehead against hers.

She felt like there was more to say, but there really wasn't, and she floundered for a moment, her mouth flapping open and closed before she turned her face away from him, nuzzling against the pillow, falling asleep at the same time he did.


End file.
